Design of an Effective Lesson

The Effective Lesson
Essential Components in
Modern Teaching

Foreword
As teachers of English language, we face
permanent challenges that put the quality of
our work and professional development to the
test.
As a result, improving the quality of our lessons
is a necessary piece for our careers.
Professional development is anything that we
choose to make better what we do, and so we
can develop ourselves by making changes in the
way lessons are delivered.
Choice, change and trust are three pillars of
professional development because when we
choose a new way of teaching, trusting our
ability to obtain results is a sign of adaptation to
the needs of the environment.
This guide shows options to designing and
delivering effective English lessons, based on
ongoing approaches of educational theories.
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Modern Teaching
Traditional learning relied on mechanical
features like memorization and passive
recitation from conventional resources.
Today, modern education draws attention to
experiences that lead to permanent changes in
behavior.
In addition, the impact of new theories in
education and discoveries of how people learn,
has brought out major repercussions in the
classroom and how to develop the lessons.
Teachers are now challenged to implant a
personal brand with background information
and their own learning experience.
Following are some of the most notable
implications of this new teaching model with the
purpose to enrich and if desired, modify old
standards to teach a lesson.
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The Experiential Approach
Learning from experience is the new ideal of
constructivism in which the creation of spaces
to build meaningful learning is emphasized.
It is used in a conscious, planned and directed
way that adapts to different learning styles –
visual, auditory, kinesthetic and tactile.
One basic concept is learning by doing or hands-
on learning, where knowledge is displaced and
the experience instills through emotions,
sensations and principles that mark the
individual.
Experiential learning brings about new
opportunities for self-discovery, experimenting
and reflecting on group work, strengthening
community building and reflecting on the
experience.
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Meaningful Learning
David Ausubel, an educational psychologist,
built upon the work of Jean Piaget and other
constructivists.
This theory defines learning as the one achieved
when putting together the following
constituents:
• Subject with disposition to learn
• Previous knowledge
• New knowledge
• Subject-object interaction.
Accordingly, the learning subject will be able to
assimilate, relate and organize the new
knowledge with the previous, in order to apply
it in a practical way.
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Learning Stages
When learning a new lesson, students go
through different stages. It’s important to
sequence activities so that they assimilate,
relate and organize the new knowledge.
At a first stage, they discover the relation
between previous and new knowledge, and
from unconscious unskillfulness, the learner
recognizes lack of ability on the skill.
Later, and through clarifying activities, students
move on seeing increased level of competence.
The teacher then promotes retention using
repetitions, visual references and choices,
seeking meaning through familiar settings.
Internalization happens by providing chances of
usage, reflecting and projecting application in
real situations and contexts.
Lastly, the learner transfers the experience to
the long-term memory.
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Student-Centered Lessons
When designing a lesson, teachers normally
consider what they will do but take less time to
position themselves under the learner’s
perspective.
This is an essential step when planning
objectives and activities since we want to
ensure that our learners are capable of using
the target language.
Finding out what students already know or
activating schema prepares them for the new
material. Also, the objectives and the ways to
measure learning must align with the content.
Objectives that are easy to track can be stated
with the format SWBAT:
• By the end of the lesson, Students Will Be
Able To: write, draw, identify, sort, construct,
compare, label, list, describe, arrange, match.
Define, decide, explain, recommend.
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Teacher Talking Time
Effective classes develop with participation that
places students at the center, either individually,
in pairs, or in group work.
This means the teacher speaks less during the
presentation and development of activities to
support the lessons, using inductive teaching
rather than traditional account of concepts.
Inductive teaching entails that learners discover
for themselves and are more involved in the
learning process, rather than being passive
recipients. This way they are likely to be more
attentive and motivated.
If the class is done collaboratively, learners get
the opportunity for extra language processing
which in turn prepares them for greater self-
reliance and autonomy.
Effective teachers aim to reduce their talking
time increasing students’ production instead.
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Collaborative Learning
The notion of making students responsible for
their learning implies that learning can happen
from other sources besides the teacher’s.
This is a key component of student-centered
classes in which learners are empowered to use
language.
In order to create an environment in which
cooperative learning can take place, three
things are necessary. First, students need to feel
safe, but also challenged. Second, groups need
to be small enough that everyone can
contribute. Third, the task students work
together on must be clearly defined.
The simplest format of collaborative learning is
Think-Pair-Share and it can be used in every
class. Changing the size of groups and adjusting
the amount of interaction adds more interest
and excitement to the lesson, transforming
sessions in fun and cherished experiences.
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Tips to Empower Students
• Make students write their questions about a
text, rather that asking them. Later, they
discuss their questions with students in other
groups.
• Students take dictations from each other.
One way to do this is having all students at
the board. Student X dictates to everyone
and can immediately see the results.
• Students bring in sentences they’ve found for
analysis in class.
• A student writes the day’s plan on the board
and opens the class by greeting everyone,
calling attention to the plan, and reading
through it.
• Students give closure to the lesson by asking
and answering, “What have we learned
today?” or they can write a sentence or two
about what they have learned.
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Classroom Set Up
The way that learners are arranged plays an
important role for the interactions and the
nature of planned activities.
Our intention to enhance the channels of
communication is easily achievable when
students are strategically positioned.
Also, teachers can better see their behavior
which in turn facilitates classroom management.
Typical lay-outs with students facing each other
is ideal for classes, and it fits TPS activities as
well as easy attention to the teacher.
Consider grouping people with enough ease of
access and circulation, since it creates the
appropriate setting to execute instructions that
derive from activities.
Another point is allowing students to stand up
and move for a specific purpose. There will be
as many possibilities as space available, if it’s
planned ahead.8/20/2017 A. Cueto 11

Lay-Out Considerations
• Can I see the faces
of every single
student and can
they see me?
• Can everyone see
the board (if
you're planning on
using it)?
• Can the students
see one another?
• Can I move
around the room
so that I can
monitor
effectively?
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Giving Instructions
There are plenty of ways to give instructions,
from simply telling them to writing steps on the
board, or modeling with a volunteer. In short,
instructions must be given beforehand, making
sure doubts are not left unattended.
 Get students’ attention making sure they are
listening.
 Sequence the steps in a logical way.
 Be as brief as possible. Use simple, direct language –
such as commands.
 Use visual, tactile or kinesthetic support.
 Write keywords on the board.
 Use an appropriate pace for your learners. Speak
slowly and clearly.
 Maintain eye contact and watch for signs of
incomprehension.
 Only give the instructions necessary for the
particular stage of the activity.
 Have two participants model the task.
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CCQs
CCQs or Comprehension Checking Questions are
used to help students understand the meaning
of new language by highlighting what is
important about it and making clear what is not.
They also serve the purpose of revalidating
instructions previously given.
These questions follow a defined sequence of
increasing difficulty:
• Yes/No and Either/Or questions
• Example
• Short answer
• Definition
The meaning needs to be illustrated from a
context and then CCQs are used to reinforce it.
Ask CCQs to the whole class, not just one person
so that you aren’t pressuring them to get the
right answer. If wrong answers are given, then
the teacher goes back to present again
emphasizing what was confusing.
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Correcting
Teachers regularly have to decide about the
best way to provide feedback of flaws detected.
This unavoidable task implicates diverse factors
depending if you want to encourage fluency or
accuracy. It is relevant to pay attention to the
learning stage in which the student is found:
 Pre-learning: Ignore and continue the conversation.
Take note to teach it in the future.
 Encounter: Ignore the inaccuracy but begin to create
opportunities to clarify.
 Clarify: Answer the learner’s question or create the
opportunity.
 Remember: Provide direct hints or the answer so
that the learner can self-correct if at all possible.
 Internalize: Provide slight/indirect hints that really
gives the learner the chance to self-correct.
 Fluent use: Ignore them but note that student is self-
correcting.
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Techniques for Responding to
Mistakes and Identifying Errors.*
Student Error: I go to the bank yesterday.
 “No, that’s wrong. You must say, “I went to the bank
yesterday.”
 “I went to the bank yesterday.”
 “Yesterday, I…” (pause to let student correct).
 “Verb tense?”
 “Go is in the present. You need past tense.”
 “What’s the second word?”
 Whisper or mouth, “I went.”
 “What?”
 “Oh, you went to the bank yesterday.” (in conversational
tone.)
 Draw six lines on the board _ _ _ _ _ _ and point to the
second line to indicate a problem with the second word.
 “Really? Did you make a deposit?”
 “Go?”
 Make a gesture to indicate past tense.
 Use fingers to indicate where the error is. (Each finger
represents a word in the sentence.) allow time for self-
correction.
 Finger touches ear, quizzical expression on face.
 “Can anyone help (name student)?”
 “Please repeat.”
 “You go to the bank yesterday?” (stress “go”).
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Classroom Activities
The objective of a lesson defines the nature of
the activities to put the target language in
practice. Games and motions in the classroom
activate senses and brain activity that otherwise
would not get involved.
1.Teachers must decide how much content students
can focus on without being overwhelmed. They also
need create a logical sequence that helps students
work toward a final objective.
With the inclusion of pictures and verbal directions,
the teacher helps students focus on key elements of
the lesson. Effective teachers need to break down
content so that students can progress step by step.
The use of pictures, demonstrations, verbal
explanations. Peer teaching, and practice all
contribute to students relating new information to
prior knowledge, a key feature of learning. By using
a variety of sensory models, the teacher helps
students with different learning styles notice key
features in the content.
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Tools for
Activities
• Brainstorming ideas
• Engage in discussions
• Prepare presentations
Small Groups
• Students get a new partner each
time the outer or inner circle
moves one person to the right.
Fluency Circles
• Students change partners when
the last person on the left side
moves to the right and everyone
slides down one position to face
a new person.
Line ups
• An inner circle of students
participates in a discussion or
activity, Students in the outer
circle either observe or whisper
ideas to the inner circle.
Fishbowl
Many factors
contribute to how
and whether students
participate in an
activity and learn
from it:
• What options are
there for the
arranging students in
the classroom?
• How can decisions
about timing and
staging of an activity
affect student
participation?
• How can the position
and participation of
the teacher affect?
• How can the use of
materials and/or
technology affect?
• How can the
classroom
environment affect?
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How to Pair
and Group
• Students move around the
room in cocktail-party style
getting new partners and
chatting.
Mingling
• Students move to different
parts of the room to do
activities. They can also remain
in place and rotate pieces of
paper with activities written for
them around the room.
Stations
• Students in small groups (As,
Bs, Cs, Ds) do an activity such as
discussing, listening, or reading.
They are then regrouped by
counting them off (1,2,3,4) so
that new groups each have only
one member from their
previous groups. Students
report to the new groups what
they learned in the old groups.
Jigsaw
• Assign students to groups
or pairs by gesturing who
will work together.
• Count off students. If you
have 16 students and
want pairs, count off
students one-through-
eight. Put the ones
together, the twos
together, etc.
• Count off using different
vocabulary (sports, fruit,
animals). This is a fun way
to review vocabulary and
add some more
excitement: Okay, all of
the monkeys over here!”
• Line up students
according to height
(birthday, time it takes to
get to school, etc.).
• Ask students to find a
new partner.
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Best Practices
Effective teachers use the following:
 They always greet students when arriving to
the classroom.
 They write relevant information about the
lesson, e.g. objectives, book unit, etc.
 They bring dynamism to the class by not
remaining seated at their desk.
 Start their lessons with a reference from
students’ surroundings.
 Ask questions and encourage students to ask
questions as well.
 Call students by their names.
 Praise students when they achieve progress,
no matter how little they are.
 Allow students to have a say about the
lesson. Give them options to decide.
 Provide equal opportunities to participate,
even if they have to call on some of them.
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Best Practices
 Using background music when appropriate.
 Inaccuracy response techniques –including
peer correction.
 Teach to different modalities (VAKT).
 Use Think/Pair/Share.
 Getting students to keep eye contact during
pair work.
 Modeling –both Teacher to Student and
Student to Student.
 Giving students solitary time to work and
process information.
 Using humor.
 Move around room, both teacher-student.
 Keep ratio of student talking time vs. teacher
talking time.
 Pair work/group work –varying methods of
pairing/grouping and switching
partners/groups.
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Best Practices
 Peer-teaching.
 Use Concept Checking Questions.
 Get feedback from learners –Example: ask
for their feelings on tasks; ask if it was too
easy, too difficult, or just right.
 Ask students to share one thing they
learned in the lesson before leaving.
 Discover the world outside by bringing
authentic material to the classroom. Take
students outside when possible.
 Use technology as a supporting tool, to
complement what is discussed in class.
 Circulate to detect possible distractions,
engage by letting them know you are aware
of their presence.
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